The Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, on Tuesday said President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to improving electoral reform in the country.
Mr. Malami, who is also the Minister of Justice, made the comment during an appearance at an electoral town hall event broadcast on Channels Television.
Mr. Malami said the present administration has, more than its predecessors, allowed for the independence of INEC as an institution and also respected the decisions of the judiciary.
“We are all living witnesses to what happened in Zamfara for example,” he said. “We are all living witnesses to the fact that INEC as an umpire reserves exclusive rights to determine constitutional compliance of a political party in terms of fielding a candidate.
“For the first time, the judiciary has been granted its right to determine the validity of the electoral process.
“It is not correct to conclude that this administration has not supported the evolution of the electoral process.”
The National Assembly has said it is committed to passing an amendment to the electoral act by the end of the year and Mr. Malami said the President will surely assent, provided the submitted amendments do not contravene the nation’s constitution.
“Within the context of the legality of the electoral act amendment, I give you my commitment that the President will certainly assent, provided that there are no constitutional infractions,” Malami said.
